BELL OPENS "WESTERN WORLD" WITH HONDA NATIONAL MIDGET WIN

Peoria, Arizona.…..Chris Bell’s magical 2013 season continued on Thursday night as he took his seventh Honda National Midget win of the year to open Canyon Speedway Park’s “Western World Championships.” The Norman, Oklahoma driver tacked on even more to his strong point lead with a commanding win in the 30-lapper.

Bell’s teammate Tanner Thorson led from the green as Bell kept pace early on as a cluster of yellows kept the race from finding a rhythm. After leading the opening seven laps, Thorson bobbled in turn-two and nearly looped it. He continued on but that handed the lead to Bell as Thorson dropped to fourth.

As the race came up on halfway, Darren Hagen appeared to be Bell’s biggest threat, as Thorson had clawed back to third. Behind them, Brady Bacon and Bryan Clauson had jumped to the top, trying to make something work through turns one and two and making headway in turns three and four.

The final ten laps went green as Bacon finally found his way past Hagen, bringing Clauson along with him as they began to chop into the lead of Bell, who was coming up on traffic. Bacon cut nearly three seconds off Bell’s lead in the closing laps, but it wasn’t enough as Bell made himself high point man going into Friday’s second preliminary night with the 1.74-second win aboard the Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports – Toyota TRD #71 Bullet/Speedway Toyota.

Bacon opened up a bit over Clauson in the closing laps, finishing second aboard the PPM Titanium Products – Magneti Marelli #99 Spike/Esslinger.

Hagen ended up fifth in the Shane Hmiel – Great Clips #56 Beast/Esslinger, and Rico Abreu rounded out the top-five after having to go to the back mid-way through the feature in the Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports – Toyota TRD #67K Bullet/Speedway Toyota.

Points are accrued over both preliminary nights, counting qualifying, heat races, and the feature, to line up Saturday’s heat races and dash. The dash is for the top eight in combined points who are locked into Saturday’s Feature.